T-Mobile has launched a 5G network slicing beta program for developers.
The initial beta aims to help developers enhance video calling apps by providing optimized network conditions—consistent uplink and downlink speeds, lower latency, and improved reliability—leveraging T-Mobile’s nationwide 5G Standalone (5G SA) network.
Ulf Ewaldsson, President of Technology at T-Mobile, said:
“The wireless industry has talked about 5G network slicing for years and, at T-Mobile, we’ve been putting in the work to bring it to life.
Thanks to our nationwide 5G SA network, T-Mobile is the only operator in the country capable of unlocking this technology so developers can immediately begin creating applications that can one day provide tangible benefits to wireless users everywhere.”
Video calling usage has surged in recent years due to remote work and the growing need to stay connected while mobile. In response, T-Mobile is inviting developers to build new apps or upgrade existing ones through the network slicing beta, ensuring those applications run on an optimized slice with superior network performance.
T-Mobile plans to broaden the beta to support more application types and use cases in the near future.
Amit Barave, VP of Product Management for Webex at Cisco, commented:
“Advanced 5G networks are more important than ever with work increasingly happening on the go in today’s era of hybrid work.
We are proud to be working side-by-side with T-Mobile to harness cutting-edge features like network slicing that will deliver innovative solutions to customers that empower hybrid work.”
In the first phase, the network slicing beta is available to iOS developers in Seattle and San Francisco. T-Mobile intends to expand the program nationwide and open it to Android developers later this year as device manufacturers enable slicing capabilities on their platforms.
Developers of all sizes can sign up for the beta through T-Mobile’s DevEdge developer platform. Developers in the greater Seattle area can also work directly with T-Mobile engineers at the 5G Hub to test and validate network slicing on their applications.
Several major video-calling app developers have already expressed interest in T-Mobile’s network slicing beta.
Brian Peterson, CTO and co-founder of Dialpad, said:
“With the rise of the hybrid workforce and an increase in complex applications, there has never been a more critical need for 5G.
T-Mobile’s 5G opens up incredible new possibilities for bringing mobile and AI applications to the next level. It gives us the ability to test new capabilities with features like network slicing and, ultimately, supercharge Dialpad and AI adoption for customers across the country.”
T-Mobile’s 5G network currently reaches 326 million people across two million square miles—surpassing the combined reach of AT&T and Verizon. Its Ultra Capacity 5G serves 285 million people nationwide, and T-Mobile plans to expand that reach to 300 million people by year-end.
(Image Credit: T-Mobile)
See also: DISH now offers 5G broadband to over 70% of US population
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